Bristol vs Sarries, Rd 5

[jimKRFC]

Bristol:

15. Rich Lane (39 apps)
14. Toby Fricker (32 apps)
13. Jack Bates (37 apps)
12. Joe Jenkins (15 apps)
11. Gabriel Ibitoye (45 apps)
10. AJ MacGinty (41 apps)
9. Harry Randall (129 apps)
1. Ellis Genge (48 apps)
2. Gabriel Oghre (22 apps)
3. Max Lahiff (91 apps)
4. Josh Caulfield (27 apps)
5. Joe Batley (67 apps)
6. James Dun (37 apps)
7. Santiago Grondona (2 app)
8. Fitz Harding (c) (76 apps).

Subss: 16. Harry Thacker (115 apps), 17. Jake Woolmore (153 apps), 18. George Kloska (46 apps), 19. Joe Owen (15 apps), 20. Benjamin Grondona (5 apps), 21. Kieran Marmion (28 apps), 22. Sam Worsley (7 apps), 23. Benjamin Elizalde (1 app).

Injuries really hitting the side now. 6 or 7 first team players all out... A big ask for Jenkins and Bates in the centres. Fingers crossed we put up a bit of fight and get some bonus points.

[jimKRFC]

Saracens:

1 Rhys Carre
2 Theo Dan
3 Marco Riccioni
4 Maro Itoje (c)
5 Hugh Tizard
6 Theo McFarland
7 Toby Knight
8 Tom Willis
9 Ivan van Zyl
10 Alex Goode
11 Rotimi Segun
12 Josh Hallett
13 Alex Lozowski
14 Tobias Elliott
15 Elliot Daly

Replacements:
16 Jamie George, 17 Phil Brantingham, 18 Alec Clarey, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Nathan Michelow, 21 Gareth Simpson, 22 Nick Tompkins, 23 Brandon Jackson

[Epaminondas Pules]

Saracens:

1 Rhys Carre
2 Theo Dan
3 Marco Riccioni
4 Maro Itoje (c)
5 Hugh Tizard
6 Theo McFarland
7 Toby Knight
8 Tom Willis
9 Ivan van Zyl
10 Alex Goode
11 Rotimi Segun
12 Josh Hallett
13 Alex Lozowski
14 Tobias Elliott
15 Elliot Daly

Replacements:
16 Jamie George, 17 Phil Brantingham, 18 Alec Clarey, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Nathan Michelow, 21 Gareth Simpson, 22 Nick Tompkins, 23 Brandon Jackson

Excellent to see Brantingham get his first run out!

[Puja]

Excellent to see Brantingham get his first run out!

Has he been injured or just not fancied so far?

Puja

[Epaminondas Pules]

Excellent to see Brantingham get his first run out!

Has he been injured or just not fancied so far?

Puja

Just acclimatising is what I've heard. Different environment from Falcons. Taken a little while just to get into their rhythm.

[FKAS]

Excellent to see Brantingham get his first run out!

Has he been injured or just not fancied so far?

Puja

Just acclimatising is what I've heard. Different environment from Falcons. Taken a little while just to get into their rhythm.

Carre and Mawi have been in good form as well. Sarries have restocked there prop resources well. Poor Ollie Hoskins appears to be permanently injured though.

[fivepointer]

Good to see Brantingham in the matchday squad. Also Michelow in the 23.

Bristol are missing some key backs but i do like their pack. Batley is one seriously under rated lock, i think Dun has a lot going for him and Harding is routinely excellent.

[Banquo]

Bristol:

15. Rich Lane (39 apps)
14. Toby Fricker (32 apps)
13. Jack Bates (37 apps)
12. Joe Jenkins (15 apps)
11. Gabriel Ibitoye (45 apps)
10. AJ MacGinty (41 apps)
9. Harry Randall (129 apps)
1. Ellis Genge (48 apps)
2. Gabriel Oghre (22 apps)
3. Max Lahiff (91 apps)
4. Josh Caulfield (27 apps)
5. Joe Batley (67 apps)
6. James Dun (37 apps)
7. Santiago Grondona (2 app)
8. Fitz Harding (c) (76 apps).

Subss: 16. Harry Thacker (115 apps), 17. Jake Woolmore (153 apps), 18. George Kloska (46 apps), 19. Joe Owen (15 apps), 20. Benjamin Grondona (5 apps), 21. Kieran Marmion (28 apps), 22. Sam Worsley (7 apps), 23. Benjamin Elizalde (1 app).

Injuries really hitting the side now. 6 or 7 first team players all out... A big ask for Jenkins and Bates in the centres. Fingers crossed we put up a bit of fight and get some bonus points.

I know you are big on talking down your chances, but I'd think you be looking for a win, esp looking at sarries selection

[Puja]

Has he been injured or just not fancied so far?

Puja

Just acclimatising is what I've heard. Different environment from Falcons. Taken a little while just to get into their rhythm.

Fair enough - hopefully will start seeing a bit more gametime as he starts to impress the coaches more. He has got a fight on his hands with having Carre and Mawi in front of him; I was worried about him choosing Sarries because of that. Diamond's words of warning about leaving and struggling for game time might've been sour grapes and umbrage, but he has gone from being England A and being name-checked by Staunch BigProps, to being third choice and getting one bench slot in the fifth game of the season.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Diamond's words of warning about leaving and struggling for game time might've been sour grapes and umbrage, but he has gone from being England A and being name-checked by Staunch BigProps, to being third choice and getting one bench slot in the fifth game of the season.

I thought it was Pepper that Classy Diamond said that to/about?

[Puja]

Diamond's words of warning about leaving and struggling for game time might've been sour grapes and umbrage, but he has gone from being England A and being name-checked by Staunch BigProps, to being third choice and getting one bench slot in the fifth game of the season.

I thought it was Pepper that Classy Diamond said that to/about?

I think he said that in general about Brantingham, Johnson, and Pepper.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

Ah, ok

[jimKRFC]

Bristol are missing some key backs but i do like their pack. Batley is one seriously under rated lock, i think Dun has a lot going for him and Harding is routinely excellent.

I became slightly confident against Glaws and look where that got us! In my defence Bristol have historically been mostly poor...

Sarries are side we have always struggled with, but with missing a bunch of key.players I'm not confident. If we had a full side I might go to 50:50!

[jimKRFC]

Double post

[twitchy]

15.05 ko and I still missed the first try.

[twitchy]

Fun game.

[FKAS]

Fun game.

Yeah, end to end. Doubt the coaches are happy mind.

[Oakboy]

Best two No 8s in the league?

[Captainhaircut]

Any ideas who the hell Townsend is trying to poach from this game then?

[twitchy]

Perfect set up for the last few mins.

[twitchy]

I was thinking "is that joe's son" but he is too small.

[twitchy]

Gutting for bizzle.

[fivepointer]

Gutting for Bristol to lose that. They had enough ball and opportunities to be well out of sight at the 60 minute mark. They played some thrilling stuff at times but undermined their attacking efforts by conceding some really soft tries.
Randall was the best back on the pitch, Harding the best forward.

[Timbo]

Daly continues to be a cut above & was incredible in this match. Feels like he’s quite unfairly maligned tbh (more widely, not on this forum), when he’s clearly one of the very best English players of his generation. Easily still worth his England squad place.

[Banquo]

Daly continues to be a cut above & was incredible in this match. Feels like he’s quite unfairly maligned tbh (more widely, not on this forum), when he’s clearly one of the very best English players of his generation. Easily still worth his England squad place.

kind of agree, but he never has quite done his best work in an England shirt. I'll still maintain he should have been left on the wing internationally, with a roving brief. He is overly maligned, but there was a period when he couldn't catch a cold at 15 for England.